It is really hot today, and after getting up early and throwing open the windows just to refresh the house, before closing them and the blinds and curtains on the sunny side of the house, which normally happens just after breakfast, I went for my usual early morning tour of the garden. The first roses are fully out on the four Home Florist Rose Shrub collection with a lot more buds to come. Early this morning I picked three one each from 'Timeless Pink', 'Timeless Cream' and 'Timeless Charisma'.
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| Rose Home Florist in a Vase |
These remind me of my Parents who grew in addition to all their tropical plants and flowers, rose trees and the roses were a great attraction for bouquets in the tropics. My father was a botanist entomologist and plant pathologist and run the growing side of things, whilst my mother was the business woman and florist, helped of course by a number of talented people.
I myself favour the more relaxed form of domestic gardening and flower arranging. When I was once looking at the rose bouquets from David Austen and saw 'Florist type roses' rather than their more floppy stemmed varieties, I thought they also sold those type of rose trees, it got me searching, but their roses for their bouquets are sourced from Kenya, so loads of air miles! A few years ago the 'Timeless Collection' came to my attention, and their blooms really are like the long tall stemmed roses you buy as cut flowers. In bud and open too, they are superb, and the rose shrubs strong and healthy. To get the large terminal rose I find that a little disbudding helps. I used to love helping my dad do this job on the flowers destined to be used as cut flowers.
These roses with strong thornless stems are in a large white jug, together with Sedum Hylotelephium erythrostictum 'Frosty Morn', aka 'Alison's sedum', and some flowers from an unnamed heuchera. The heuchera has pretty leaves too, but not featured here. Since it so hot I have included the old elephant and my Mum's little crystal watering can.Yesterday was definitely a 'getting out the deckchair day'. I has worked in the garden till lunch time, and afterwards started on my current Reading group book: apt really as it called The Gardener. This month's book was my choice. I do like her style of writing, topics and have read several of her other books. Even only three chapters in I love it.
Oh such beautiful looking roses Noelle which must be scenting the room. You have featured them before and tempted me into seeking out a 'Timeless Purple' last year. Sadly so far I've been disappointed. It produced just one beautiful highly scented flower last summer and so far this year looks as it might do the same which is most puzzling. I put it down to perhaps it being a new plant last year but I think that I must phone the supplier for advice.
ReplyDeleteIt's reading weather here. I like Sally Vickers books too and 'The Names' was one of my best reads last year. My u3a reading group has just finished 'The Women' by Kristin Hannah. which I can recommend. It was one of the rare occasions when all the members thoroughly enjoyed the book 😂
Oh I can recommend 'The Women' too, Noelle, recommended to me by Elder Daughter who had read it in HER reading group! I struggled to put it down 😉 Beautiful roses today - but are they fragrant, as florists' roses mostly are not? The variegated sedum works so well with the roses, as do the heuchera blooms. By the way - did you say you were going to email me? Haven't had anything yet...
DeleteThat is great for you to add your recommendations Anne and Cathy. Yes they are fragrant but not in the same league as the dark red Munstead Wood, which sadly for me has too heavy a head for its weaker stems. I used to grow Etoile de Hollande as a climber which was another fragrant and good cutting rose.
DeleteThe Timeless Purple is the less floriferous of the four, I moved it once, but it does not have quite as good position as the other three. I find they need pruning quite hard, around the end of December here. Thanks for the book recommendations Anna.
DeleteI enjoyed your entire post but I have to say I appreciated the arrangement and the elephant the most. They captured my heart.
ReplyDeleteI like your beautiful roses. So many petals in the bloom, and how great that stem has a bit of holding power for arrangements. Great elephant. I will look up The Gardener.
ReplyDeleteLo ve the colors and those roses in that vase. And some interesting books.
ReplyDeleteThose roses are breathtaking Noelle! I am not really a rose person, but those are simply gorgeous colours and your arrangement is lovely. Hot here too. Hope you get some relief soon.
ReplyDeleteEven hotter today Tuesday! Hope it breaks soon.
DeleteI always think of hybrid teas as florist roses, wasn't aware it was a specific group as well. Regardless, the roses here have looked a bit peaky this year, so I might have to live vicariously through everybody else's for a while. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI believe the really big roses that are sold in florists may be special varieties, something I shall have to look into. There smaller ones, mostly grown in Africa now, and brought to be sold in supermarkets. I hope to show more of the roses next week, and will have you in mind!
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